Having access to a decent home is vitally important to physical, social and emotional well-being. The denial of a decent home means a lack dignity and security. Emotional wellbeing and, in consequence, mental health are also impaired. There will be physical harm, too, if diet and access to healthcare are compromised.
Too many people in the UK today do not have access to a decent home. Yet there are many perfectly good homes standing empty.
For the CIEH, empty homes represent an extreme version of bad housing potentially causing harm to health.
Empty homes have an impact on the local community too. The effects include unsightliness, loss of amenity, anti-social behaviour, pest infestations, the devaluing of neighbouring properties, loss to local economy and so on.
Extreme cases result in "market failure". Knock-on effects include demand for building on greenfield sites.
All these are compelling reasons why the CIEH involves itself in the policy and practice of reducing the numbers of empty homes. It is why we call on governments and other public policy decision-makers to take action to reduce the numbers of empties and it is why we develop advice, guidance and toolkits to assist environmental health practitioners to take action to tackle empties.
One such toolkit is the one launched by the Homes and Communities Agency in May 2011, with CIEH input. This online resource is aimed at a wide range of audiences - from property owners, and concerned neighbours, to council officers and local councillors, who have a front-line role in helping and enabling their communities tackle many of the challenges posed by empty properties. It provides advice and information on all the important aspects of returning an empty home into use.
The toolkit is accompanied by a GIS (Geographical Information System) mapping system which shows the locations and density of empty homes across England.